Ford’s plant in Dagenham, east London, has today produced its 40 millionth engine since 1931. The plant, which ceased car production in 2002, is Ford’s worldwide centre for diesel engine production and satisfies more than 50 per cent of Ford’s global demand for diesel powerplants.
Engine number 40,000,000 is a 1.6 TDCi engine, but it is not currently known which model it will be destined for.
Dagenham currently produces the Tiger, Puma, Lynx and Lion families of engines and built 987,000 engines in 2011. Around 70 per cent of its total output are built for Ford vehicles. The balance is supplied to Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, PSA Peugeot-Citroën and Volvo.
Combined with production of engines at Ford’s Bridgend plant, which produces Ecoboost petrol engines, UK-built engines power one in three Ford vehicles globally. The two plants produce two million engines a year, 85 per cent of which are exported.
Ford’s Dagenham Diesel Centre, one of two engine plants on the east London site, was opened in 2003 as a result of a £325m investment. As a whole, Dagenham is London’s largest industrial employer.
Joe Greenwell, Ford Britain chairman, said: "Dagenham producing 40 million engines is a significant milestone for Ford’s biggest UK site. Ford Dagenham now produces Ford’s most fuel-efficient engine in the 1.6-litre TDCi unit and exports to 12 countries around the world as part of our global ‘One Ford’ strategy. This site is helping to power the UK's sustainable economic recovery."
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allwight guv'nor
"Ford's Dagenham plant in east London as built its 40 millionth engine.."
Is that a deliberate typo in deference to the estuary twang?